First steps with Docker

This guide helps you set up Docker Desktop and run Memgraph using Docker images.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure Docker Desktop is installed and running on your system. You can download it from the official Docker website.

System requirements:

• Windows: Windows 10/11 64-bit (version 21H2 or higher), WSL2 enabled, hardware virtualization turned on.
• MacOS: One of the three most recent macOS versions, with at least 4GB of RAM.
• Linux: Docker Engine installed (instructions vary per distribution).

Verify Docker installation

To verify Docker is installed and running:

1. Open Terminal (or Command Prompt).
2. Run:

docker --version
docker info

You should see version details and system information.

Troubleshoot

If you encounter any errors or if Docker does not seem to be running:

• Ensure that the Docker Desktop application (for Mac and Windows) is running.
• On Linux, you might need to start the Docker service manually using a command like sudo service docker start or sudo systemctl start docker, depending on your Linux distribution.

Run Memgraph with Docker

This is a quickstart example to get Memgraph running in Docker. For a more detailed overview, visit the how to install Memgraph with Docker documentation.

docker pull memgraph/memgraph

docker pull memgraph/memgraph-mage

docker run -p 7687:7687 --name memgraph memgraph/memgraph

docker run -p 7687:7687 -p 7444:7444 --name memgraph-mage memgraph/memgraph-mage

docker run -p 7687:7687 memgraph/memgraph --memory-limit=50 --log-level=TRACE

Manage containers

Stop a container

To stop a running database instance, use the docker stop command. You’ll need the container’s ID or name:

You can stop multiple containers at once by listing them all in the command.

docker stop CONTAINER1_ID CONTAINER2_ID CONTAINER3_NAME

Start a container

To restart a stopped container:

1. List all containers (including stopped ones):

docker ps -a

2. Start the container by ID or name:

docker start <CONTAINER_ID>
# or
docker start <CONTAINER_NAME>

Delete a container

Before deleting a container, ensure it’s stopped. Then use the docker rm command with the container’s ID or name:

docker rm <CONTAINER_ID>
# or
docker rm <CONTAINER_NAME>

To remove multiple containers at once:

docker rm CONTAINER1_ID CONTAINER2_ID CONTAINER3_NAME

docker run vs docker start

While they might sound similar, docker run and docker start serve very different purposes:

docker run — create & start a new container

• Initializes a new container from a specified image.
• Pulls the image from Docker Hub if it’s not available locally.
• Often used with custom settings, environment variables, ports, or volume mounts.
• Suitable when you’re launching a container for the first time.

docker run [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND]

docker start — restart an existing container

• Reactivates a previously stopped container without changing its configuration.
• Does not create a new container.
• Useful for quickly resuming work with the same container state.

docker start <CONTAINER_ID or NAME>

Key difference: docker run creates a brand-new container. docker start brings an existing one back to life.

Inspect and access

Get Docker container’s ID

To list all running containers and get their IDs, use:

docker ps

You should get an output similar to this:

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                    COMMAND                  CREATED         STATUS         PORTS                                            NAMES
d44f049fef87   memgraph/memgraph-mage   "/usr/lib/memgraph/m…"   8 seconds ago   Up 6 seconds   0.0.0.0:7444->7444/tcp, 0.0.0.0:7687->7687/tcp   musing_pasteur

You can use either the full CONTAINER ID or a shortened version (e.g., d44f) if it’s unique.

Get Docker container’s IP address

First, retrieve the container’s ID or name.

Then run:

docker inspect -f '{{range.NetworkSettings.Networks}}{{.IPAddress}}{{end}}' <CONTAINER_ID>

Example:

docker inspect -f '{{range.NetworkSettings.Networks}}{{.IPAddress}}{{end}}' 9397623cd87e

Access the file system inside a container

To browse files inside a container, you’ll need its ID or name. Run:

docker exec -it <CONTAINER_ID> bash

Once inside the container, you can use standard Linux commands:

• ls – list files and directories
• cd <directory> – change to a directory
• cd .. – go up one directory
• cat <file> – display file contents

File management

Copy files from a Docker container

To copy files from a container to your local machine:

1. First, ensure you know the container’s ID or name.
2. Navigate to the local directory where you want to save the file.
3. Use the following command:

docker cp <CONTAINER_ID>:<path_in_container> <local_destination>

Example: Copying a configuration file to the Desktop:

docker cp bb3de2634afe:/etc/memgraph/memgraph.conf memgraph.conf

This will save memgraph.conf in the current directory.

Copy files to a Docker container

To copy a file from your local system into a container:

1. Know the container’s ID or name.
2. Be in the local directory where the file is located.
3. Use the command:

docker cp <local_file> <CONTAINER_ID>:<path_in_container>

Example: Replacing the configuration file inside the container:

docker cp memgraph.conf bb3de2634afe:/etc/memgraph/memgraph.conf

This will overwrite the file inside the container with your local version.